vivid testimony as vanishes americans were someone at the end of the trail. please help me welcome susan and walter. [applause] [applause] : >> irate, thank you. in growing up, i started out in

a very rural area of oklahoma and we lived there and there is -- for the times commended this is taking place in the 50s and 60s, so there's a very different mindset and there is a lot of racism that had to be dealt with not just pay me, but by my parents and especially in my father was indiana indiana my mother was not come even may have a lot of race them aimed at them for being an integrated marriage at that time, which would my gosh, that this story is really about finding the strength within myself. at times it's hard and being able to push through those hardships commit people to make it through the night is what i like to think of it as a bad and the morning when the sun comes up and you can get things, then

you sometimes have to get help and there's nothing wrong with asking for help. that's the other thing that important about the book is when times get really hard for me, when i was seven or eight when i had to leave a is a junior school, you have to go somewhere just hope. and i went to the church in the church offered me a place to stay and recover from the domestic violence that it is having their in my high school years. the back before then, i had my own problems and self-esteem in people -- i was the youngest of four girls in the soil isolate everybody was taking on me and calling me names and making me cry and doing all those mean things you're older brothers and sisters do. i will talk about the things i've done to them because of course they'll tell you the story. but it is about getting in touch if you're in selves and your

spirit and finding something you can hold onto. lot of churches and religious sect duties, but it was also i had some dreams in which i had these. guide he came and helped me. and although i've seen her once before, the big time i saw her was when i had the first tech writing accident in the my back and was unconscious for a while. as a kid, for chile part of overcoming out with not believing the doctors and a side you should be glad you can walk. you are lucky you weren't dead. oh yeah, sure, but i wanted to do more. we kept going. finally had to go to the chiropractor to find somebody that said maybe exercise is okay. maybe you can try jogging. yeah, maybe you could use that to strength in your back. i latched onto god and that is

when i got into dance team chemistry living in the which an escape --a physical escape. i felt great. i got my body back. and then just as you start to feel good, life has a tendency sometimes to thought you back down. it is happening to me. i had some fun times, cheerleading, i'm sure there's not a lot of people out there i would even admit that they were trying to clean if they [laughter] while to us. and you know what, i would have rather two minute track here. i thought a tractor queen is good. i'm queen of the track truce. this is the state fair and i was just held the trophy and had to case the guy that won a tractor pull. talk about disappointment. but before i got there. first i went to work for carl

alberts and i think he taken minutes until you have it happened because it's not the kind of thing that you had ever planned for. and it's one of those things where life is good to you and gives you something back and then you go and blow it. stick your foot in your mouth. say the wrong thing. this is a good example of how you stick your foot in your mouth, smile a lot and may forgive you and you still get through it all. when i was a presidential scholar and that happened in 1969, and they have a boy and a girl from each state up to washington d.c. to meet the president. well, this is mixed in. we were all excited and i'm going to go see nixon. welcome to the vietnam war was going on, too. nixon was held in vietnam, south vietnam. so he was late coming back for lunch in. so everybody says okay, next day, next they are they took us on tours and one of the big area

is coming at a press conference in but wilkinson was there. yeah, but wilkinson. you coach neil davis. he was president nixon's aide at that time many come back he said are you any relation she done to pronounce? there's not a lot of supernaw. that's my dad. remember when he went out for the football team. he didn't make it but he went out. somebody actually knows my dad. he does will have you seen the old sop? dooming nixon? [laughter] and mary jay silent and i was like a beard to kids is very straight days. i meant the senate office building. well, now they have more than two senate office buildings. that and they had a new acid be

an old sop. i got to see them both. but anyway, after doing that and kind of backing out and carl albert heard that instead week, combat, combat. i want you to come work in my office this summer. i'm like well, why? he says anybody that can politics and sop and get away with it has to work in my office. and he was just becoming speaker of the house and i wasn't a registered democrat at the time comes they did become a the registered democrats i could work in the so that's the fun part. i think i would like to go ahead and tell another story here. and that was when i became miss oklahoma. and to get their course, i had to -- you have to enter nba preliminary pageant winner.

i see the guys over there. they have gray hair. we remember bill cosby when he was young, you know, and mail with a name that was taken from a bill cosby carried it is patterned after joe namath, cutting himself in doing staff. these regroup with guys. again, trained at the time are going to spew whatever we can and try to do some team with the ravishment. so although they were in hunt club, they were clever enough to have a representative in the pageant because it is the student activity and anyone could nominate people. i go through some of the stories and staff. the surprising part was that i won. they've never been in a pageant before and i have lots of help from people although for.

but he did win. i fell down the steps walking up the steps. the guys that built the steps are here, so i better not say anything bad. they were elwell, the people aren't built wide enough to hold the chair in the crows sitting in it and all the other people that certainly ran up on stage. anyway, we almost had an accident. i did fall down, but a fixed link to and got back up. i thought that was the worst that would happen. nothing compared to what happened in at the oklahoma pageant. fortunately, i waited until after he was crowned before everything broke loose. and that was the whole another story of just getting to the pageant was of another story. sitting there and they are talking. after my first press conference at the core hunt club them are going to a five-star restaurant

unfortunately the press wasn't fair. tony spencer, who was the pageant director at the time was trying to paint my crowned parrot had a flat head and crowns never ever say. the kind of waffling. said they attended to end up with this band around me and said this is your banner. take great care of this. you've got to where this all year. not you, got you. ebay raining the whole time. looking outside, the father is pulling up a day or in the limo stops. and now i grew up on a fire. i'll tell you what, i can run. so i open the door and here she goes running out. took about three steps, banner drop to make the period eisele.

a written a banner, fell flat on their face. get up soaking wet and i'm going to make the last dive into the car. the guys got the car door open. i jump into -- and that used to wearing a crown. the crowned sticks up about this such a figurehead. as then jumping into the car and it knocks me backwards again and breaks my crown. so tony spencer is running around, trying to pick up little pieces of my crown so we can have it fixed later. so i get in and we finally get in the car and go down to the press conference, go in looking like a drowned rat. in charlie welch is fair, getting ready to greet everybody and saying suzy saldana broker crowd and tony came running after. [laughter] i said your right. it's going to be a line here. and so we kill in and tries like

okay coming by to speak to love these people and i'm just soaking wet trying to get it together because this reminded me of my old days at oso, which is how i got my name -- another one of those great nickname stories of trying to be like the lennon sisters enough of this dutiful singing, except i couldn't sing my part and ran up stage crying. that imprinted on my mind because i was like seven years old. michael jackson can do it hereby can't even get having seen? but anyway, i'm going in and charlie says okay now give them a typical indian greeting. so i stand up and i said charlie asked me to give you a typical indian greeting. i didn't document the the kind of creeping the indians gave the pilgrims that on the track at the time the cheyenne gave custard at little or bit

torrent. so i just said hi to you in a native language. [laughter] and all stuck there because that was my big step has been able to stand in front of a group, tripping when it, no makeup and what make up the fairly stated on my face and still pull up the announced to talk. having electricity go up this morning at 2:00 is nothing compared to what i've been to in the past. >> as miss oklahoma, you're forced into the spotlight not only is it represented the state coming as we all know once were put in the spotlight, were suddenly asked to represent all native people. how did she balance that? how did you become a nod to care for native people, but without taking out the representative of the whole? >> mainly because i never felt really nirmal.

will really come if you read the book, it's hard for me to think of myself as being nirmal. so i can't speak for other people because i'm not nirmal. i only speak for myself. but there were a lot of people. there are people that say you sell out. sellouts are really good doctor in the 60s. you can be a sell out just by getting your degree from graduating high school, not even to mention college. either your degree was, the more useful about. and that is the mentality that then. and there were people that were totally honored. all the tribes of oklahoma, representative from the tribes got together and raised the money for my page in the miss america pageant. so the balloting there were a whole lot of american in and sit oklahoma that were very supportive of me. although very few people, not just indians, but a very big

protest is a very kind of scandalous time to be trained to do that. i didn't know any better. >> you mentioned that he drew upon your native culture to help you through these times to navigate that. would you care to tell us more about how the traditions and native cultures strengthen you through these times? >> i think having a spirit guide was probably the most influential part of having that streams. we all pray and have always been a prayer. but to actually know that there's somebody there watching you is just a very empowering feeling tonight that really has more than just let me to believe in a mess up some spirit or something out there that is keeping an eye on me. that really freaked me out to be

more, kind of give me more self-esteem. >> was there ever a nice back of native culture that she felt held you back in some way? >> yes. not so much with muskogeecome up a lot of indian cultures, the women are really out okay and then aren't as strong. there's a lot of matrimonial indian cultures or they have very strong women and i'm very fortunate to be one of those. so being a strong woman does not hold me back as much as it might have been other cultures. but we really grosses people out as i cried. i cannot keep a straight face. i'm sorry. i will cry, so that's probably one of the things that i was embarrassed me. you're not supposed to cry. >> tell us a little bit about

anything you don't want to get away from the book, but tell us a little bit about the process of earning any. >> well, it varies of course to teach tithing it. with me because a lot of people, a naming ceremony where chad was presented to the sun or give any right after they were born within a certain period of time after they were boring. with me, that did not have been. and so i really received my name in a dream and it was set to meet to go out and earn that name and i knew what they had to do to earn the name and then took me another eight or 10 years to get around to doing it because i was just a kid and there were a lot of things we had to overcome to earn my name. the earning it to me was the high point of it all and i doubt think i could have done it without being miss oklahoma because they really needed to perform publicly. the chance i had in high school

my mind was the thinking about earning my name. i was involved with growing up in being a teenager come as i really needed the extra chance to prove myself to myself. >> it just occurred to me as they asked the question that some of our ideas are some of the people who viewed the program may think my question is when asked about earning your name. your name is susan supernaw. maybe if you wouldn't mind explaining a little about the difference. >> my indian name was in in the opponent which means the sec. part of the reason it was really hard was because when i got the name i was in the dream that they were spec writing accident and you wake up and find out you're paralyzed and you've been given the name of dancing feet. i thought it was some kind of cruel joke that the spirits replaying. i did promise if i got my feet

and legs working again but i would earn my name because i got baby that's what it was therefore. >> as he think about the experience that readers are going to have reading your book, if you could narrow it down to one think about what is the most important thing you would like readers to take away from your story? >> some laughter because in spite of all the bad times, you know, we really need to sit back and be able to laugh and feel good. yes, there are some sad part, but i would feel great if somebody said you know, i laughed. i had a good laugh at something and that the case there are lots of silly, whatever things. naïve is a good bird. lots of times that of my foot in my mouth and open it it just to switch feet. >> speaking of coming in now,

sometimes putting your foot in your mouth, i seem to be doing at the moment, tell us a little bit about the inspiration. would encourage me teach you get to actually read the book? >> well, i do mention a few important people in one of the people i didn't mention this can and to who i spend my mentor for a very long time. and he's the one that gave the ceremony and gave me my name. renew his health was failing him he made me promise i would rate this story down. i'd always been kind of well, i'll wait until someone asked. he took me another 10 years to get this stuff together and another 10 years to get published. it's not a fast process, that he

was instrumental and the fact that both my parents passed away, it seems like everybody we forgot all these people's names and things that have been. >> an earlier draft of the book won an award this needed a word for a first book. pope is the change lake from the first book to the book we have with us now. >> it is a whole lot shorter, today's focus. it was more of a collection of stories and more stories about me in high school and it mentioned the proper names. we edited about 100 pages and stuck with only the stories that really tell what beginning my

name and there may be more stories for you to write for us. >> second edition output the stories back in. >> thank you, seizing. i'd like to bring water into the discussion here. we have just heard susan talk about a very personal story and of course we all expect the writing of in the court of the conquerors was personal for you, that deals with a much larger scope. what was your inspiration for coming to this book? >> first of all, good morning to everyone and thanks for inviting me to be a part of this program. well, i think in part, you know, susan story is a smaller story of native americans. i think her personal struggles for fulfillment, you know, and

be able to transcend her problems and be recognized in the miss america pageant, you know, it's pretty stirring personal story on her part. i think we've seen on a larger level, the same thing throughout indian country and that is during this modern era of federal indian law grad 19 -- the late 50s right into the present we see the sovereignty movement for indian country at the beginning of the 50s was at the low point for the american indians in american society and our land holdings were about 2% -- less than 2% of our original for land ownership in the united states and her people living and not just poverty at the bottom of a

segregated society that was on stamping out our traditions and their tribal religions and their ways of life and terminating the political relationship between the indian nation and the government, just the whole dream of low point, if you will in the native life here in our nation. and then, since that point, excuse me, our nation has really what has historic, social movements i think that stirs the human heart and am not, we've seen the rise of our moderate indian nation, you know, through their tribal sovereignty movement being able to transcend the social and legal and political problems, you know,

this sort of held our people down and trying to reclaim our pride and make all right -- political rights of indigenous people to the point where we can and see a great social movement that rivals the women's movement, civil rights movement, environmental movement in american history and one of the reasons why we were able to do that with the american ma and what they call federal indian mob provided the legal framework for the social movement has resulted in the rise of moderate indian nations. what i wanted to study that body of law in my book because i does

concern for that idea flawed because i think there's been a very troubling retreat, you know, from michael redd to the u.s. supreme court since 1985, you know, were indian nations have lost or 80% of their cases, you know, that come before the supreme court in some terms losing with an 80% of our cases, which means indian -- well, the prison inmates actually fare better or receive better treatment by the supreme court then our indian nations. so as a lifelong part tichenor of federal indian law, that troubled me and it's also as federal indian law that i was

inspired as i always have been the notion suggested sort of a unique study of the law the forces that were that has explained the amazing the prevalence of unjust cases relating to american indians that we see in american minco history that we have a very unjust decisions many of us take for granted today cases that were decided by the courts during the course of manifest destiny when our nation was spent on colonizing the land that the indian land and the tribes and stripping away our

ways of life's and habitat to me way for the settlement of the nation. and that process was upheld at the courts every step of the way and it has created a body of law that upholds some very harsh outcomes for native people. i wanted to understand that because those cases related in a pot of the doctrines that make it easy to make rights vulnerable to look at doctrines based on race and colonialists and i have been indicted in federal -- federal indian law to this very day and a whole bunch of very manifestly unjust cases that unlike the black cases of slavery or racial discrimination

at the scene of their races, those cases have been reversed and are no longer cited today after the inner cores. these indian cases remain the law of the land. i picked 10 of the worst cases and studied their historical context and look at the briefs written, research characters involved in the cases as americans, we reasonably expect justice from our legal system and that's reasonable because our nation has intentionally designed the legal system to achieve justice. you know, that's listed in our canons of judicial ethics, you know, justice in our society and

we have rules of evidence in civil procedure in criminal procedure, rules of evidence, all designed to achieve a fair trial. we have an independent or a shift government for the federal courts so that our judges receive a lifelong claimant said they can hand down just decisions about their removal. and so, we reasonably expect justice and we see that most of the time and most of the cases. every now and then there will be a case that is handed down by the highest court in the land had i written aaron leading curious in history that have a manifestly un- just outcome, you know, how can we explain that? that's what i try to explore in my book. and i said hatband, these 10 cases that i did pick, very

gripping stories about the epic encounters between two cultures contending for different ways of life across our great continent here and they give us lessons in justice and injustice in the role of the courts in the winning of the west and their teachings by peering into the dark side of the law and looking at some of these forces of colonialism and conquest and discovery, up close i think we can see those parts of the law that need to be discarded or just society and strive towards a more just society. these are large questions not only for our nation the whole

idea of conquest and colonization are really as old as humanity at south and they've always been with us as our human being has spread across the planet, you know, and populations moving into new lands, looking for better lives, displacing other populations what are and should be the relationships between the conqueror and we can look at the vikings were babylonians, romans this is a universal setup question that confront us all. our experience has yet to be written. we can look to the chorus and

see if the courts have sided, which is the approach that i took. the final chapter i don't think has been written because they think we want to -- we are a fair and a just people and we can look at and see in our law affect teen american indians and identify those vestiges of injustice that are embedded in the law and try to root them out of the law. and so, my book is not merely that injustice, but it could also points a pathway towards a more just culture as we want to strike towards a more just culture in a postcolonial world and root out these nefarious doctrines, you know, the defector tribal when the u.s. so

that our basic notions of liberty and equality, fair treatment can be achieved for all segments of the society, including native peoples. that is ultimately the end product of my book. he mentioned the parallels of african american history our kids in the k-12 system at least have heard about the dred scott case. maybe in some parts of the country they've heard about roe v. wade in other women's rights issues. what would be the main cases you would like to see the kids become aware of and the k-12

experience? what seems -- i mean for example, you mentioned the very start trends with regard to african-americans have a separate but equal. what cases would you like our kids to grow up knowing? what doctrines which are like them to be wary of? of the 20th century was brown v. board of education, you know, the supreme court struck down the separate but equal cause in know, which in 1896 had laid out the legal basis for racial discrimination and racial segregation in america. the separate but equal.tran in which all walks of our american life was racially segregated, you know, based on the notion that the legal fiction that blacks are inferior and that

their separate treatment by the law, you know, definitely stamp of that of inferior that was discarded. our economy was based, housing, public education was discarded or the supreme court in 1955 in the brown case and it changed the face of america and paved the way for the election of our first but president, president obama. and we have similar kind of cases that plague native america abuchon things he macintosh springs to my mind, the fact that you can i'm land title, for

example, that the act of discovery operated to approve or eat legal title the land to the united states and this is handed down by the supreme court in 1823 at a time when most of the continent was found and occupied by indian nation. the supreme court in a sweeping opinion appropriated the legal title ii the land, you know, when european sailors saw the coastal shoreline of north america, that active discovery operated to transfer the legal title and left the indian tribes as mere tenants of the government who could occupy the land at the pleasure of the government and in the same vein, applying these european notions of conquest and discovery and

describing india as a racist people that have inferior care to her, inferior religion and that the europeans were a superior civilization, basically notions that is that court in the 1820s saw blacks as also racially inferior indians in the same way. and while that racial attitude towards the blacks has been reversed now and rooted out of the lock, the same notion about indians remained in that it. there's a whole bunch of cases in that same line of judicial time that justified the absolute power of congress, you know, over indian tribes, persons and

properties, the sanction of breaking the treaties unilaterally with impunity with the rulers in the entrance as if by unfettered guardianship, you know, without any judicial review, stamping out our religions are notions that really have no place in a moderate society that has much higher values. so we've come a long way under the law in federal indian law. we've had an incredible social movement, but this idea of the supreme court. back on those rights is very troubling. i think we not only have to hawk at 10, though we had to go and strengthen the body of the. the u.n. in 2007 passed the u.n.

declaration of the rights of indigenous peoples and it sets forth the landmark new standard for the survival and dignity and well-being of the world's indigenous peoples, including here in the united states. and these are rights that encompass all of our aspirations as american indians that harry dressed to the they've human rights declaration. and the obama administration endorsed that dream meant to go back in washington d.c. so we now see a new order and to stand at the threshold of implementing the u.n. declaration in this minimum standards and to our american domestic life and social aid. and they think if we can raise

our domestic laws so that it comports with all of these minimum standards by the u.n. that it will strengthen federal indian law. it will result in discarding these nefarious legal doctrines that have become embedded in our federal and he and mom and make our nation a better place in a postcolonial world. the u.n. declarations arise from notions of equality, notions of justice, notions of self determination, notions that these political and cultural property rights of native peoples are inherent human right, you know, and they are based on contemporary international human rights, it a much better source of values

than the old notions of racism in conquest of colonialism that are the underlying values of federal and emi. so we have the prospect that maybe it in new set of rules that we can perhaps conceptualize the basis for indigenous rights or a more just fashioned this is equally sound and perhaps even more vigorous native rights as indigenous people. why should we do that? i think that our native, cultural survival of our native people, which is set taken the 21st century. and we really offer a great diversity in our human family and their wisdom traditions from some of our hunting, fishing and

gathering cosmologies in another earlier primal religions that arose on the soil, with much to offer to our modern day society and i think most americans are seeing and appreciating that now. we can look to u.n. declaration as a model, as an agenda for this next generation, you know, to strengthen that as we stride towards a more just culture by privateers set of columbus. >> well, thank you. at this point in the program, i'd like to open the discussion to questions from the audience. if anyone from the audience would like to ask one of one of our authors the question in the center ido. if you please come to the center so we can all hear you when you asked the question.

while you're maybe thinking -- whether you want to be brave enough to stand up and asked, i will again remind you this program will be broadcast in approximately two weeks. we don't have a specific date, but will be broadcast on c-span, which in the tulsa area is channel 44 and channel 45 and channel 350 and 351 of which are tv satellite program. does anyone have a question that you asked? please tell us your name and then ask your question. >> catherine cox. imh are sitting near hopefulness of the u.n. influence on our lives. i don't know how big a slice of the population, but a vocal one who would just assume our country not even really pay our dues and participate. they say we are bound by what the u.n. says relative to others, involvement in the globe on the whatnot. so are you optimistic with the

u.n. at the apps will actually be honored by our powers that be? >> i'm very optimistic. i think that americans are a fundamentally just people and less educated interpolator or to the right thing. the possibility of native people though is the root cause of our current problems in native america. i'm more optimistic than i have been sober ready for social change sober ready for social change sober ready for social change sober ready for social

change and after that experience, we can look around our political landscape and see our native tribes in the know, is very sophisticated affirmance. and they form the political and cultural and social units and the impeaches for reforming the federal indian law. we see many of our tribes now has made economic gaming and development. justice can't money that we are probably poised now to put some of that discretionary wealth, you know, in the area of social and legal reform. we have much more better human resources now as far as lawyers

and folks like suzanne, authors, artists and tourists than all of the professions, including our traditional people that can work to strengthen, you know, our legal and social fabric. and i think that the u.n. declaration shows developing international norms and certainly it will be the work of a generation. it will be the work of a generation. there will be some weedy areas, even though our laws and social policy to indigenous woes. denature addresses of society.

i think god the courts of the conqueror, which is the title of my book, i took that from john marshall and john sinn the macintosh where you describe the american judicial system is the course of the conqueror, which makes you wonder how in the end they're going to fare such cores. the days of the court are really numbered and i think that the supreme court is out of step. it's rowing against the tight because the other two branches of the federal government want to bolster tribal sovereignty and our economic self-determination, but the president and the congress, passing laws to strengthen our cultural integrity et cetera. if only the supreme court that is rowing against the tide. i think as our larger society and says i'm just as that the

courts will come along. i am optimistic. >> do we have another question? >> susan supernaw, i read it. it's a great story. i'd like for you to tell us what was the hardest part of writing the book? what was the darkest passage? >> the hardest part of writing the book for me was really dealing with my issues with his father and bringing up a lot of some of the trauma that was associated with feeling it as a child and never good enough. and they think after writing and talking to people and going back and writing again, it was like a repeat and it helped me understand where he was coming

from and what kind of life he was leading and now he was just trying to do the best he could at that time to get along and try to keep two women happy. you can imagine. but as i wrote and found out more about him, i became more forgiving and understanding and i don't have that kind of resentment and little bit of anger used to have. so i feel really free from that. i feel like i can recognize and as a person that was just doing the best he could at the time. [inaudible] >> no, no, we're just a few minutes we can do under questioning. >> offset down. >> this is the quick one for ms. supernaw. you mention a response to the question about what it does that got you through the night you call it, how do you work, if you do, with young people now in

similar situations, you know, 30 years later who maybe haven't had to train. you have the gift is a dream come of that they have baby encountered are about their spiritual guide. so how did they draw a map? >> i like to emphasize that it is being fair and the strains within you. it's inside you. and for people that don't believe in the spirit, i try to say maybe if you're breath. think of it as breathing in. because when you talk with students can you get the whole realm. i do try to emphasize that event -- there'd be some people that would say even a spirit guide is just some dingbat your mind sees that some people might say it's the nation. so you don't need that to move forward. you just need whatever you can find them yourselves.

and i think most people are probably going to relate that to a village in a sense our. i spent a lot of time crying and praying. and for some reason, just maybe all the endorphins in getting rid of that pain made it okay. but i think that and not being able to ask for help in the morning bursting as you can. you may not be a lot of fine for a while. but whenever you can and, come up and ask for help and that's the main thing. there's so many religious people out here and leaders that will help you find the strength within yourself. >> one more short question. yes.

>> mr. echo-hawk and ms. supernaw, i just like to say i'm so appreciative of your being here. they wish their books like this that were written when i was at my daughter's and manes' age. i thought it was very important for them to see indian leaders and what they've gone through what they're doing for us. my daughter patience, my daughter hope, my niece who was the delaware powwow princess, clop out of princess. so if you had one thing to just say to them today as young native women, i know it's a hard question to say because they know you have so much inside your hearts and your spirit he gave. but if there was one thing you could just impart to them today, what would you say to them as young native women, what they could do? i just want to tell you i appreciate you today, if you could do that. >> i would say believe in yourself. that is the most important

thing. if you don't, it's hard to find other people that will believe in you, too. i think that's important. walter, how do you? >> culture. look within your culture. that's where you'll have real strengths carried a long way and also education. >> yes, thank you. and so we have time for at this particular segment of the day. i would like to remind everyone that there will be a book signing immediately following the presentation in the lecture room next door. there will be books that both mr. echo-hawk and ms. supernaw. thank you for distinguished guests for being here and sharing about their work. they could thank you on the c-span of course like to think the county library and the american indian resource center program about native people to the tulsa area.

i think to also thank everyone for coming. i hope you have a safe travel home. [applause] >> this is a sad day i have to say and kennedy flies. this is the red room. thursday showed us is that was the first room she completed at the restoration, but this is the day of her husband's funeral. she insisted that she meet those who are coming from afar, those who are diplomats, the diplomatic corps from abroad. and so, she said with her brother-in-law, senator edward kennedy to her right in insisted on gritting everyone who came to pay their respects to her has been. i mean more glittery note, can we remember her for her entertaining. in the short amount of time that she was in the white house was only a little over 1000 days, she and her has been through 16

state dinners in the first term, full four years of the w. bush turned, they had i believed to. now mind you, 9/11 happened during that time. there were security issues, but the bushes -- the second bush is from texas are not as interested in that. they were less interested in state entertainment. they weren't as interested in bringing from abroad and entertaining them in the white house. the kennedys lived that lifestyle. they both came from the northeast. they both had ties to new york city. president kennedy ties to hollywood, going back to fathers day they are in the 1920s. so they loved that glimmer and that a notch of entertainment but they also come in particularly mrs. kennedy left the earth. so she would use each and every one of the state entertainment occasions to bring artists to the white house.

>> coming up next, booktv presents afterwords, an hour-long program buried typecast posts to interview authors. this week, ken walsh explores the relationship between u.s. president and african american white house workers. the former president of the white house correspondents association shows that race relations and that the president's home often reflected those in american society. he talks with author and educator, juliann naco. >> host: kenneth walsh, this book, "family of freedom" has a fascinating piece of work. i'm actually nghia see how because you actually -- you're talking about african-americans

in the white house, both as the cabinet, but also as servers, enslaved people. talk a little bit about what motivated you to do this. >> a couple things. as a white house correspondent i covered since 1986 full-time. there is always super race to the president come in different ways to get behind the curtain in the public relations and so want to see what they were really like. i've written for other books in one of try to do is find some prisons to look at them through to find something different. >> host: if i might say, your book about the presidential retreat is fascinating because it really is like you're looking at the presidency was something people would pick up. >> guest: well, thank you. very important and fascinating issue of race that has been with us from the beginning and the united states and now the presidents do with that, both in policies and attitudes in dealing the african-americans around them. the other motivating factor was when president obama was a lack

of it. the simple question, what happened with african-americans in the past? president obama has gotten to the height of our politics and our government, but what is the history of african-americans in the white house in dealing with the president? the city to threats they try to look at to this book. >> we can draw a line in the sand of robert lieber, the first african-american to be a cabinet member. he was ahead of hud under i believe lyndon johnson. before that their african-americans in the white house. talk about what we did before we were cabinet members. >> you know, in the very beginning course we had sort of been appalling history of our president and the race issue. eight of our first half as slaves in the white house. they were the virginia planters, southern planters and they thought that slavery was part of their